Empowerment and Participation
This objective was about exchanging good practice and testing new methods for participation to empower individuals. London took the lead on developing a transnational understanding on this theme, although all 4inclusion partners contributed.
Background
Across the UK, homelessness sector innovative participation practice is widespread, and is an over-arching principle to many voluntary and public sector services. Participation and community involvement is high on the UK Government and local authorities’ agenda. With regard to housing and homelessness, this is reflected through their funding criteria - ‘supporting people’. Introduced in 2003 this UK wide funding requires service providers to provide the opportunities for homeless people to participate in the decision making process. Services receiving Supporting People funding are assessed on their client involvement or participation as part of a measurable quality standard.
Therefore, these requirements have influenced UK homelessness service providers to develop involvement strategies to increase participation, and to embed participation practice across all organisational levels.
Themed Seminar
In April 2007, London hosted the 4Inclusion Empowerment and Participation Seminar. The overall aim of the three day event was to share participation best practice with colleagues and homeless individuals from the 4Inclusion partnership.
The seminar highlights included: a carousel of Empowerment and Innovation Fund projects led by homeless individuals; presentations from homeless individuals on their experience of empowerment; a big debate discussing participation in homelessness projects and the opportunity for delegates to reflect with their colleagues on their learning and then develop action plans to improve participation activity in their own projects.
During the conference we filmed some of the delegates giving their views on the event, and on the subject of participation and empowerment. Click on the links below to view short film clips of the delegates giving their opinions, with English subtitles.
| Budapest - Participant 1 |
Budapest - Participant 2 |
London - Participant 1 |
| London - Participant 2 |
Madrid - Project Staff 1 |
Madrid - Project Staff 2 |
| Madrid - Participant | Paris - Project Staff |
Themed Report
For more information about the event download the full Empowerment and Participation Conference Report (1.79 Mb).